Life As A Balancing Act

I recently read, "There are no limits to what you can accomplish when you are supposed to be doing something else."

Right now I am trying to find the right 'balance' that works for me which is not just about making sure I study enough but also includes taking care of my health, getting enough social interraction and doing things I enjoy. I know it sounds difficult to believe if you really know me but I can get stuck at home. It is a lot easier for me to stay at home and potter around than to get in the car and go somewhere. I don't eat out or get take away, I don't go to movies and concerts and shopping is reserved usually for necessities such as groceries and dog food. Going away last weekend was my idea but  when I started thinking it would be easier and cheaper to stay at home, I am glad Sharyn encouraged me to go and was even willing to keep Milly for the weekend.

It was once said of me that the more friends I have, the happier I am and I am used to having a lot of friends but at the moment, friends are sparse. I get on well with the people I work with but as that's on a casual basis, I don't see them often. At church, I have met only 2 couples and one of those couples live around the corner so they stay in touch. My course is online so apart from emails, I have not met any students or lecturers in person yet. I have Skype and Facebook but it would be nice to be able to go out with friends on a regular basis. One of the 'problems' is most people already have their lifestyle, their family and their commitments to church and/or leisure activities.

The thing is that to gain friends I have to be willing to put in the time and money, especially as I don't live right in town. I also have to be willing to make a commitment (e.g. to a sport) and I am really good at using my need to study as an excuse to not go out. It doesn't mean I am always studying but the intention is there. I also don't want to be the person who always does the calling, the messaging, the initiating of going out somewhere, be it on the phone, in person, on skype or in email. Sometimes I want someone to call me and ask, "How are you really doing?" I think I will try out a new church this week and see if people are more welcoming and friendly than this present one.

Yesterday I went shopping for a new dress as my nephew is getting married next month and I don't have any suitable winter clothes. I took a photo of one of the dresses I most like and sent it to my son's girlfriend for her opinion. She loved it and talked it up (via texting) and it (the dress) was lovely, warm and practical as it could be dressed up or just casual. I am thankful for the technology that enables me to maintain relationships with people across the world and as I was driving home from town, I realised that I need balance in my life. I need to interract with people face to face and I need to make sure I leave the house regularly in order to have that balance.

One of my neighbours visits regularly to check up on me and Sharyn and I talk regularly. A couple of weeks ago I had a hot chocolate with a guy after church and while he is nice, I am not interested and have told him that very clearly. He hasn't quite accepted that yet but he is so NOT my type! He thinks I am easy to talk to and I feel like saying, "It's my job to be easy to talk to." When we were leaving the cafe, I almost tripped over the table and chair in my hurry to go in the opposite direction but he still sent a text message later telling me I was charming. P.S. This photo was not taken when I was with that guy.

Well, I really should go and do some study. I have now given up diet coke and my favourite drink is "Bundaberg Creaming Soda". It looks like my tooth will be filled with a permanent filling and not a root canal but there's about three more weeks to make sure.  How are those two sentences connected, you might be asking? Well, I gave up diet coke when my tooth was aching because I read somewhere that diet coke eats calcium and when I stopped drinking dc and drank milk, my toothache would be less. Now that it's been fixed, I could go back to drinking diet coke but it makes Mom Flowers happier if I don't. Maybe I will even take up drinking coffee one of these days.

I need a permanent job.